How to Raise a Child
by StoryGirl1997
Summary: Sequel to How to Raise a Family. Raising a child isn't always easy, especially if he is nervous about getting out into the world and discovering new things.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

**It's here! And I honestly don't know how long this series will go! This will start a few months where we left off, and progress over the years slowly.**

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_Raising a child isn't always easy. At least that's what I've heard._

_And I'm sure that not even half of the Vikings in our village have as many kids as we do. If you count the Red Death that we adopted after he hatched, we have four kids._

_There's Mortem, the Red Death, Draco and Camicazi, the twins, and finally, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Fourth._

_Hic for short._

_But, like I mentioned before, raising a child isn't always easy._

_Especially if the Red Death that you adopted, and his Bewilderbeast mate, are both pregnant._

It was a week before Snoggletog, and the entire village was bustling. There was still time to get ready, but they liked to get it done a week early.

Mortem and Fera were in the plaza, their abdomens bloated, making them nearly twice as big as they really were. They had both just reached their full size, and were now the new Dragon King and Queen.

Draco and Camicazi were in the plaza with Astrid, who was carrying Hic. The twins had celebrated the holiday before, but they wanted this one to be extra-special. Draco spent more time with his Night Fury, Jet, while Camicazi practiced with her axe. She still liked to train with Eclipse, though. Heather was doing what she could to help hang up the Snoggletog decorations along with Torch and his family.

Camicazi was over by the Snoggletog tree, testing out her axe. Eclipse watched from a distance, not wanting to get cut. Camicazi was slashing away at anything she could find that wasn't alive. Anything she saw, the axe touched. Hiccup had told her often enough that she was a lot like her mother, and there was no doubt in his words. Draco was with Jet, feeding him some fish. He tossed his dragon a cod, and Jet backed up, snarling. Draco picked up the cod and held it out to his dragon, who screeched, backing up further. Panicking, Draco tossed the cod away and took out a salmon instead. Jet gobbled it up without hesitation.

"_Another cod?_" Eclipse asked her brother. Jet shook his head. "_I keep telling Mortem to tell them that I'm allergic, but he seems to keep forgetting._" Junior seemed to approach from nowhere, and he sat down next to Jet. "_So, you really are allergic to cod?_" he asked. Jet sighed. "_I can't eat it, my throat swells._" Junior nodded in understanding.

It was then that Astrid arrived with Hic in her arms. She nearly bumped into Camicazi, who was still trying out her axe. "Camicazi, you have to be a little more careful," she said, "You could hurt someone." Camicazi put her axe down and turned to face her mother. "I just want to be a tough warrior like you," she said. Astrid smiled, shook her head, and knelt down next to her daughter. "I only act tough when I have to," she said gently, "It's fine that you want to be tough like me, but for now, you have to take it easy. You're still pretty young, you know." Camicazi understood what she meant, and nodded. Then, without warning, she hugged her mom tightly. Astrid smiled, hugging her daughter back with her free arm.

Camicazi snuggled further into her mother's embrace. "I love you, Mom." Astrid's smile widened. Whenever it came to this sort of thing, Camicazi acted a lot like her father. "I love you too." And she could tell that Camicazi already knew that.

Hic chose that particular moment to start fussing. Astrid let go of her daughter, and tried to get her son to calm down. Nearby, Junior heard the little boy fussing, and bounded over to them. He nuzzled the little boy, and he suddenly stopped crying. He looked up at the black dragon, his eyes wide. Junior nuzzled the boy again, a little more gentle than before. Astrid smiled at the dragon, and patted him on the head. There was a high-pitched shriek from above, and Astrid and Junior looked up to see Toothless flying above them with Hiccup on his back.

The two friends landed in the middle of the plaza. Astrid smiled and stood up. "You're back early," she said. Hiccup shrugged. "I wanted to make it back before the Breeding Migration," he said with a smile.

Hic started to fuss again, and Hiccup walked over and took his son in his arms. "It's okay," he said gently, "It's okay. It's okay, Daddy's here. Daddy's here." Hic calmed down at the sound of his voice, and then he went to sleep. Astrid laughed. "It's funny," she said, "He's seen you for only a couple months and he stops crying when you talk to him." Hiccup looked at her with guilt in his eyes. "If I had known about what was going on while I was gone, I could have tried to get back sooner, you know." Astrid shook her head. "It's not your fault," she said, "I should have let you know when I had the chance. But all that matters is that you came back." Hiccup smiled at her. "Of course I did," he said, "I'd never leave my family." Astrid smiled back at him.

At that moment, there was a loud roar, and everyone looked up to see a huge flock of dragons flying overhead. Mortem and Fera both picked up their heads at the sound of the dragons. This time, it was their turn to join them. Many of the new full-grown dragons, some of which were the dragons that hatched three years ago, were already taking off and joining the flock. Mortem rose to his feet, and flapped his huge wings, taking to the skies and joining the others. No sooner after he took off, Fera soon joined him. Her wings had grown stronger from all the swimming she had done, and was now able to fly, like Mortem. As the two gargantuan dragons joined the flock, Mortem looked back to see his parents watching him leave. He knew that they understood why he was doing this, but he also knew that they were going to miss him as much as he was going to miss them. He looked away, and then he and Fera continued to lead the flock of dragons off where they were told New Birth Island was. Fera took another look back at the place that had become her home before joining her mate.

Toothless, Starlight, Stormfly, Torch, and Violet watched them leave for a minute before the female Night Fury noticed the entire flock of Night Furies following the other dragons. She realized that some of the other litters of children that she had with Toothless were sitting on nearby houses, watching them leave. Dragons almost always mated more than once, and would end up having many litters of dragonets. While Jet, Eclipse, and Junior preferred to stay with their parents, the younger litters liked being with the other Night Furies. They still came to visit, though. Starlight, Stormfly, and Violet spread their wings and followed the other dragons, while Torch helped Toothless get on his back. The Typhoomerang then took off with the Night Fury on his back. Toothless looked back at Hiccup before he lay down on the Typhoomerang's back, falling asleep.

Jet, Eclipse, and Junior watched their parents leave, knowing that one day, they would be old enough to join them. The was a swooping noise, and they turned to see their youngest brother, Starflight, nearby. Starflight had gotten his name by the white star-like shapes that decorated the underside of his wings. Starflight was soon joined by their remaining siblings, Nightwing, Midnight, Negro, and Fury. Negro and Fury were twins, and so were Nightwing and Midnight. Starflight, however, was the only one of his litter. All of the Night Fury dragonets watched as the flock of dragons disappeared from sight.

Camicazi and Draco joined their parents and Hic, watching their brother and his mate leave them.

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**I know, it could be better, but I wanted to get it started as quickly as I could. I don't want to keep you all waiting. Review, follow, or favorite.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

**Sorry if I took so long, I have other stories that I have been trying to keep track of. But, it's not as hard as I thought it would be, since I'm doing a pretty decent job keeping track of them.**

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It didn't take long for everyone to get over the fact that the dragons had left for the breeding season. They all knew that the dragons would be back for the holidays. But the Haddocks' focus was mainly on their youngest son. This would be his very first Snoggletog, and they wanted it to be special.

Hic hadn't changed much over the past few months. He was a bit bigger than he had been, but not by much. The blond streaks in his hair were more visible, giving him a visual difference from his father (besides the obvious). He was still too young to be walking, however, and he still couldn't talk yet. But that didn't bother his parents. They loved him just the same.

Draco and Camicazi, however, had matured quite a bit. They both had obtained a lot of knowledge in training dragons, and Camicazi almost never left the house without her axe. She was careful with it, like Astrid had told her to, and she often practiced out in the clearing where Astrid practiced with her own axe. But, like Astrid had suggested, Camicazi had decided to take it easy for a while. She wanted to be a Valkyrie like her mother, but she didn't want to hurt anyone, especially one of her family members. She had to learn when she had to be tough, and why. Draco, on the other hand, was a dragon enthusiast. It was always dragons this, dragons that, dragons EVERYTHING. Camicazi often complained about his constant lectures on dragons. She even asked her parents now and then if Draco had been adopted. Either way, however, Draco was there to stay, no matter how much Camicazi complained.

With Mortem and Fera gone, Camicazi and Draco seemed to have nothing else to do but what they did best. For Draco, that was filling the Dragon Manuel, (mostly on the sections about the Red Death and Bewilderbeast) and for Camicazi, it was practicing with weapons. Junior and his siblings often practiced their flying skills, as well as aiming with their plasma blasts. A Night Fury's accuracy didn't always come naturally. Especially when it came to Starflight. Being the youngest by far, he had the most trouble with his fire. He was told by his parents that he was a good dragon, and that he was just a late bloomer. He often spent more time with Junior than any of his other siblings, due to the fact that they were very much alike. They were both smaller than usual, and they had the same interests, as well as similar opinions. They often met up in Raven Point, enjoying the view, and letting their thoughts wander.

As for Hic, he got most of the attention from everyone else. The dragons were used to it, since it was the same when Draco and Camicazi were infants. But for the twins, it was new. They weren't used to someone else being the center of attention, despite countless discussions with their parents about what it would be like to have a younger sibling.

Hic was taking a nap when Hiccup realized how much Astrid had needed him while he was gone. With raising twins, and having another child on the way, it had to be really tough. If only he could have been there for her...

Astrid noticed that Hiccup was sitting on their bed, deep in thought, and wondered if something was wrong. "Are you okay?" she asked him. Hiccup said nothing, he only shrugged. Astrid sighed. "If there's something that's bothering you, you can tell me what it is, Hiccup." There was no response at first, but then Hiccup sighed. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you when you needed me," he said quietly, "I never wanted to hurt you in any way." Astrid shook her head. "You never hurt me, Hiccup, and I know that you never meant to." She sat down next to him. "And you were there for me, even if I didn't realize it at first." She took off the bracelet that she still wore around her wrist. She handed it to him, and he looked at it. "You were always there with me," Astrid said. Hiccup looked up at her and smiled. He gave her the bracelet, and she put it back on her wrist. "I thought you'd figure it out," Hiccup said.

Astrid's eyes widened in surprise. She realized what he had meant when he promised that he would be there for her when she needed him. "Then why did you apologize?" she asked. Hiccup shrugged. "I just wanted to see if you figured it out yet," he said. Astrid frowned and punched him in the arm. Hiccup rubbed the spot where she had punched him. "You know that still hurts, right?" he asked. "I know," Astrid said. She then grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "But this doesn't." She leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Hiccup let go of his arm and kissed her back, taking her hand in his own. He could never get tired of her kisses.

They pulled away just as Heather passed their room. She was going to check on Hic, when she noticed her two friends comforting each other. She continued to Hic's room, pretending that she didn't notice what had been going on.

"Heather?"

Hearing her name, Heather froze. She turned to see Astrid standing in the doorway to her room. Heather sighed. "I didn't mean to interrupt anything," she said, "I was just going to..." "You really don't have to apologize," Astrid said, cutting her off, "We both know that you didn't mean it." "You mean you actually saw me?" Heather asked. Astrid shrugged. "At least you weren't trying to steal the Book of Dragons again." "Speaking of which," Heather said, "I'm sorry that I lied to you guys. If I had told you the truth, you could have helped me." Astrid walked up to her friend and put a hand on her shoulder. "We helped each other," she said, "That's all the matters, right?" Heather nodded. "I still can't believe that you put your life on the line for us," she said. Astrid smiled. "That's what friends do."

"But not just friends, right?"

Both girls turned to see Hiccup standing an arm's length away from Astrid. He smiled. "We all look out for each other. That's what you do in a family."

There was a sound of the front door opening, and the voices of Draco and Camicazi filled the house.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I don't want to hear any more lectures?!"

"But think about it, there could be things about Mortem and Fera that we don't already know!"

"You know, you're really starting to sound like Uncle Fishlegs."

"How so?"

"Because you won't shut up!"

There was silence for a few seconds before...

"MOM! DAD!"

Hiccup sighed. "I'll take care of it," he muttered, before he headed down the hallway and to the front door. Draco came running to his dad. "Camicazi said that I won't shut up!" Camicazi scoffed. "It's true, you won't stop talking about dragons! Even when I don't want to hear about it!" Hiccup sighed, and knelt down. "Camicazi, don't yell at your brother. Draco, if your sister doesn't want to hear one of your lectures, then..." "Don't give them," Draco said, "I know." Hiccup nodded. "Exactly. Not everything has to be about dragons." "Then what's the reason why you named me Draco?" Hiccup sighed. "We named you Draco because we knew that if we had a son, he would grow up to love dragons. But that doesn't mean that's all you should ever think about." "I don't think about dragons all the time," Draco protested, "I just want to learn more about them. You're always saying that there's some things we still don't know about dragons, and I thought that I could help you with those things." Hiccup put his hand on Draco's shoulder. "If you want to learn more about dragons, then the best thing you can do is read the Dragon Manuel. If I ever find a new dragon, or something new about a known dragon, I promise that I'll let you help me, okay?" Draco thought for a minute before nodding.

Camicazi had been watching, and she realized that she hadn't treated Draco very nicely. She hung her head and approached her brother. Draco turned to see her walking over to him. Camicazi lifted her head and looked at her brother. "I'm sorry," she said, "About what I said before." Draco gave her a small smile. "That's okay," he said, "I should have known that my lectures were bothering you." "What kind of lectures do you give your sister?" Hiccup asked. Draco said nothing, but Camicazi did. "He usually tells me about Night Furies, Deadly Nadders, the Red Death, and the Bewilderbeast. Those are the only sections of the book he's read so far." "But I'll read more," Draco said quickly, "I promise!" "You don't have to promise anything, Draco," Hiccup said gently, "And your sister doesn't have to either." Draco smiled before hugging his dad tightly. Camicazi soon did the same. Hiccup smiled as he hugged them back. "We love you, Dad," Draco said. Camicazi nodded. "I love you too," Hiccup said, "Both of you." It wasn't long before all three pulled out of the embrace. "Why don't you guys go and play with the Night Furies," Hiccup suggested. The twins nodded before bolting out the door.

Hiccup sighted, and got up. He made his way toward his room to lay down, when he noticed something in Hic's room. Astrid was in there, holding their son in her arms. The little boy was awake, but calm. Hiccup stayed quiet and watched as Astrid leaned down and kissed Hic's forehead. "I love you," she said softly.

Hiccup smiled as he watched. Astrid then looked up and noticed him standing there. She stood up and walked over to him. Hic stayed quiet, but when he noticed his dad, he started to fuss. Hiccup's eyes widened at what his son was doing. Astrid handed their son to him, and Hic stopped fussing. Astrid smiled. "I guess he just wanted his daddy," she said. Hiccup smiled before kissing her forehead.

"I love you, Astrid."

Astrid looked up at him, her smile widening.

"I love you too, Hiccup."

They embraced, with Hic snuggled in the middle.

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**I hope you guys like it. The next chapter will focus on what Mortem and the other dragons are doing on New Birth Island. Review, follow, or favorite.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

**New baby dragons are gonna hatch!**

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It took a while, but Mortem and Fera led all the other dragons to New Birth Island. Maybe it was a coincidence, but Mortem noticed that he and Fera were having trouble flying. Mortem even felt a bit heavier than normal...

The Dragon King and Queen both took their spots by the giant pool in the middle of the island. The other dragons all rested on the rocky cliffs. Among them were Toothless and Starlight. The minute that Mortem had gotten comfortable, he felt something strange happen in his abdomen. It was as though something was there that shouldn't be. Following his instincts, Mortem tried to push the object out. Fera noticed him, and in no time, she was witnessing the same feeling. She knew instinctively what was going on, and pushed. Mortem kept pushing the object out, and soon realized what it was. Within a few minutes, a large grey egg was resting on the rocks. Fera also had an egg, which was white and smooth. Both dragons were very happy.

But Mortem suddenly felt the strange feeling once again. But that was impossible. He already had an egg. Unless...Mortem's eyes widened.

There was another egg.

Nervously, he pushed, and soon there was another egg next to the first one.

All the dragons that were watching were frozen in shock. They didn't remember a Red Death laying twins before, and yet, the new Dragon King had just laid two eggs instead of one. Some other dragons noticed this, and soon the word had spread across the whole island. Dragons everywhere were pushing and shoving, trying to get a good look at the eggs of both Mortem and Fera. Mortem started to worry. It had taken him months to hatch from his egg, would it be the same for his offspring? He remembered Starlight telling him that dragon eggs hatched faster with heat and comfort from their mothers protection. It was possible that without his mother, it had taken Mortem longer to hatch than necessary.

Either that, or he was a late bloomer.

But all that mattered now was that his and Fera's children would survive long enough to make it home.

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It had been three days, and many of the dragons' eggs had hatched. Except for Mortem's and Fera's.

Toothless and Starlight had a new daughter, whom they had named Echo, and she was a very shy dragon. Especially when it came to the big dragons.

Mortem kept his eggs close, trying to help them in any way he could. He kept them warm when they seemed to get too cold, and when they seemed to get to hot, he cooled them down. Fera didn't have to keep her egg as warm as his, as the Bewilderbeast was an ice dragon, and hatched in lower temperatures. But she still wasn't taking any chances.

On the end of the third day, it happened.

Mortem was dozing off when he felt something nudge him. He opened his eyes and looked at his eggs. They were jerking around, and growing warmer. Moving quickly, Mortem pushed the eggs into the tide pool with his tail. Then he sat and waited.

He didn't have to wait too long, because there was a muffled explosion, and the shadow of a dragon the size of a Night Fury swimming up towards the surface. Mortem drew back as a baby Red Death climbed out of the tide pool and walked clumsily over to its parent. "_Hello, little guy,_" he said softly, nudging the baby, "_I'm your daddy._" The baby nuzzled his dad before settling down next to him. There was another explosion, and another baby swam up out of the pool. The new Red Death joined its dad, settling down next to its brother.

Mortem turned to Fera to show her his children, when he noticed that she wasn't alone. Her egg had hatched too, and her baby was playing with the frills on the back of its mother's head. Her egg had hatched when Mortem wasn't looking. There was a patch of frost where the egg had been, and Mortem could assume that the egg hatched differently than the other dragons'.

He turned his attention back to his children, who were fast asleep. He slowly got up, so as not to disturb them, and flew off to get some food for all of them.

When he got back, his mouth full of fish, the babies were awake, and wrestling with each other. He had identified their genders as male and female, and Fera's was a male as well. As he gave them their dinner, he tried to think of good names for them. Fera walked up to him. "_Do you want to meet Rex?_" she asked. Knowing that she was referring to her son, Mortem nodded. Fera then gestured for Rex to come out, and the little Bewilderbeast slowly approached the baby Red Deaths. The little ones noticed the ice dragonet, and settled down. The baby Bewilderbeast came closer, and soon, all three dragonets were playing together.

"_It's clear that the little female will be a Queen one day,_" Fera said, "_You should name her Regina._" Mortem thought for a moment, and then nodded. "_I think I'll call my son Roan,_" he said.

The other dragons were all listening, and when they heard Fera mention the name Regina, they remembered their previous queen. None of them had the strength or heart to tell Mortem that Regina had been the name of his real mother.

After a few hours of resting, Mortem noticed that his and Fera' schildren had doubled in size. He also noticed the other dragons taking off, their babies on their backs.

It was time for the Return Migration.

Mortem picked up his children and placed the, on his back before taking to the skies. Fera soon followed him, carrying Rex on her back. Despite Bewilderbeasts not being built to fly, Fera's wings had gotten strong enough over the years of practicing in order for her to follow her mate. She hoped to teach this to her son as well, as it was possible that he could be the next Dragon King.

As Mortem and Fera led the rest of the dragons back to Berk, they didn't notice Benignus watching them from underneath the ocean surface.

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**Sorry it's been so long, but I was out of town for a few days. I hope this chapter isn't too bad. Review, follow, or favorite.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

**Sorry if I'm taking too long, it's just that it's summer and things have been a bit busy (and totally fun!)**

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Toothless Junior was, in a way, a lot like his dad. He didn't have a missing tail fin, but he was able to fly pretty well. His best friends were his younger brother Starflight, and Hic.

Starflight was more of the silent type, often trying to seclude himself. But Junior was able to find him wherever he went. He was the only one that Starflight would talk to. Anyone else who tried to talk to him would be given the silent treatment. It wasn't that Starflight was a bad dragon, he just lacked self-confidence. He could fly, but he couldn't breathe fire. The closest he could get were a few smoke rings.

Junior thought that giving Starflight a private lesson would help, so he took him to a rocky outcrop and tried to teach him how to shoot a plasma blast. Starflight tried, but all that came out were smoke rings.

Then Junior accidentally stepped on his tail.

Startled, Starflight roared in pain, and a plasma blast suddenly shot out of his mouth and hit a nearby boulder, blasting it to bits.

Junior was flabbergasted. "_Starflight, how did you do that?!_" "_I don't know!_" Starflight said, equally surprised.

Junior thought for a minute about what had happened, and realized how Starflight might have done it. He stomped down on Starflight's tail, but this time, there was no plasma blast. "_OW!_" Starflight screamed, "_What did you do that for?!_" Junior shrugged. "_Sorry._"

Starflight resumed practicing, but there was nothing but smoke rings for the rest of the training.

But they could still call it progress, in a way.

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Back at the Haddock home, Draco was reading the Book of Dragons in his and Camicazi's room. His sister had gone out to train in the woods with their mom, and his dad was working on a project in the forge. Heather was taking care of Hic. In his mind, Draco was finally alone.

He had read through most of the book, and had learned quite a lot about the other dragons that lived on Berk. He was already wondering when he could start training with Jet. He had been looking forward to riding on him for a while, and didn't know how much longer he could wait.

"Night Fury. Class: Strike. Able to use echolocation to navigate in the dark, often referred to as the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Trainable: Yes."

He flipped to the section about the Monstrous Nightmare.

"Monstrous Nightmare. Class: Stoker. Able to set itself on fire, usually when enraged or fighting with another dragon. Trainable: Yes."

He flipped through the pages for a few minutes before he noticed a dragon he hadn't heard of before.

"Speed Stinger. Class: Sharp. Able to paralyze its victims with the stinger on the end of its tail. Always hunts at night, striking when least expected. Trainable: No."

Draco had never heard of an untrainable dragon, he had thought that every dragon was trainable. After all, his parents were able to train Mortem, and the Red Death was previously considered untrainable. Maybe someday he could find ways to train every dragon that existed.

Just then, there was the sound of a door slamming outside of the room. Draco closed the book and opened his door just a crack so he could hear what was going on. He heard two voices, one of which he recognized as Heather.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Heather asked. The other person laughed before introducing himself to the frightened girl. "I'm Dagur, the chief of the Berserker tribe, and I'm looking for Hiccup and his Night Fury. You wouldn't happen to know where they are, do you?" "The Night Fury isn't here," Heather tried to explain, "He left." "Liar," Dagur said. "No, it's true, the dragons are gone, he left with them." "And you expect me to believe that?" Dagur asked, "He can't fly without his friend, can he?" Heather didn't answer. Draco stayed quiet, trying to make his presence unnoticeable. "If you won't tell me where the dragon is," Dagur said, "Then where's Hiccup?" "I won't tell you," Heather said, trying to stay as strong as she possibly could, which didn't come naturally. "Tell me, or I'll tie you up and throw you in as a snack for the Scauldrons!" Dagur yelled.

There was a small cry from Hic's room.

There was silence, and Draco knew that Dagur had heard the crying. He shut the door as the faint sound of footsteps grew louder, heading for the baby's room. There was a loud bang, and Hic's crying intensified. "No!" Heather screamed, "Leave him alone!" A minute later, Draco heard Dagur's footsteps retreating, as well as Hic's screaming. When he was sure that the man was a safe distance away, Draco opened the door to hear the rest of the conversation. "Tell me, who is this?" Dagur asked. Heather didn't say anything. "Is this yours?" Dagur asked. Heather still didn't answer. Dagur laughed. "Well, maybe he could be useful in getting Hiccup to tell me where his dragon is, since you won't talk." There was the sound of a door slamming, and all was quiet.

Thinking it was safe, Draco bolted out of his room to see Heather lying on the floor, wide-eyed. She quickly stood up, and turned to Draco. "Go get your parents," she said, "And hurry." Draco nodded, bolting for the back door and running into the forest.

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Camicazi was practicing her axe-throwing with her mother. The girl was very careful with what she hit with the axe, especially with her mother around. "When will the dragons get back?" she asked before throwing her axe at a scarred tree. "They're usually back for the holidays," Astrid replied, sharpening her own axe. "But Snoggletog is tomorrow," Camicazi said as she retrieved her axe. "Then they should be back by tonight," Astrid said.

"Mom! Camicazi!"

Both girls turned to see Draco running to them. "Draco, what's wrong? What happened?" Astrid asked. Draco stopped, out of breath. "Someone...came...to the house...took...Hic." "What?" Astrid asked. Draco looked up at her. "Someone asked Aunt Heather where Dad and Toothless were, and he took Hic!" "Who?" Astrid asked, desperately. "Someone named Dagur," Draco replied. Astrid's eyes widened.

"Oh, no."

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Junior and Starflight were heading back to the village when they heard the sound of a baby crying. They hid in the shadows as the watched a strange man walk by with Hic in his arms. "_Go and get the others!_" Junior said to Starflight, who then flew off. Junior watched as the man started to head to the docks, where a ship with a strange crest on its sail. Just then, an axe came flying out of nowhere, narrowly missing the man's head. "Let him go, Dagur," said a voice. Both Dagur and Junior turned to see Astrid standing nearby. "Or what?" Dagur asked, "Do you really think you can stop me?"

"Put him down, Dagur."

Dagur turned to see Hiccup standing a few feet away, holding his Gronkle Iron shield. "What have we here, two dragon trainers trying to save a poor, innocent baby?" Dagur asked. He then noticed the wedding rings on their fingers. "Oh, no. Are you serious?" He burst out laughing before looking at Hiccup. "You married Astrid?" He laughed some more before he noticed Draco and Camicazi hiding nearby. "Oh, and got _busy_! It's a whole family of dragon trainers!" "If you don't put our son down this instant, so help me, I'll..." Astrid was cut off by Dagur. "This," he said, holding Hic out, "Is your son?" Astrid didn't answer. Dagur smiled wickedly. "I guess it was a good idea to take him, after all."

Junior bolted out into the open, roaring at top volume, in an attempt to scare Dagur away. But Dagur stayed put. "The Night Fury!" He thought that Junior was Toothless, which made sense, since they looked very much alike. But Junior wouldn't hesitate. He quickly ran behind Dagur to prevent him from escaping. Dagur caught a glimpse of Junior's tail as he did so, and noticed that this Night Fury had both tail fins. "What the...?" There was a screech, and Jet and Eclipse appeared beside their brother. Dagur turned to see more Night Furies snarling at him. He was completely surrounded. Junior bolted forward, snatching Hic out of Dagur's grasp and flying up into the sky. After making sure he was a safe distance away from the villain, he dove down and landed in between the baby's parents. "Hic!" Astrid ran over and scooped up her son.

Dagur was furious. "This isn't the end of it! I will get your son eventually! I'LL GET YOUR SON!" Junior lunged forward, standing behind Starflight, as the others all charged up their fire. Dagur gasped as he realized what was taking place. "Oh, no." This time, he wasn't going to laugh. Junior stomped down on Starflight's tail just as the other Night Furies fired their plasma blasts. Although there were only smoke rings that came out of Starflight's mouth, the plasma blasts all blasted Dagur, exploding on contact. A minute later, Dagur's smoking helmet fell to the ground with a clatter.

That was the last of the Berserker chief.

Hiccup turned away from the wreckage to see Astrid hugging their son close. Hic had stopped crying, and was snuggling into his mother's embrace. Hiccup set his shield down before walking over to meet his wife. "Is he okay?" he asked. Astrid nodded, holding her son close. Hiccup embraced her gently. "We almost lost him," he heard Astrid mutter. "But we didn't," he said, "We got him back, and that's all that matters." Astrid hugged their son tighter. "I love you both so much," she said.

Hiccup was temporarily surprised. He usually used those words whenever he was talking to Draco and Camicazi. It seemed a but weird to hear Astrid say it, but it didn't make him hesitate. "I love you too."

The twins both groaned in disgust.

* * *

Later that evening, Astrid started carrying Hic around with her whenever she was out in public. Despite Hiccup constantly assuring her that their son would be okay, she wouldn't leave him.

"You're being overprotective," Hiccup said as they walked in the plaza, "He'll be fine." "How can you know for sure?" Astrid asked, holding Hic in her arms. "Because we have friends willing to do what they can to help us," Hiccup said. Astrid stopped walking, and Hiccup turned to face her. "He reminds me so much of you," Astrid said, looking at her son, "He was there for me when you weren't. I love him almost as much as I love you." Hiccup sighed. "If anything happens, I will do what I can to make sure that he's safe, Astrid. I promise." Astrid looked up at him. "Thank you."

At that moment, there was a loud, familiar roar. The roar of a Red Death. And that could mean only one thing.

"Mortem!"

Sure enough, the Red Death was leading the other dragons with Fera flying beside him. The two giant dragons landed in the water, and the other dragons all landed in the plaza. Hiccup rushed to meet Toothless. Draco and Camicazi heard all the noise and ran to meet their brother. Mortem let Roan and Regina jump off his back to meet his siblings. Rex soon joined them.

Astrid watched them from a distance, and was soon joined by Stormfly. The Nadder nuzzled her rider and the baby in her arms.

The Night Furies soon arrived, led by Jet, and welcomed their parents and new sister.

All was well.

* * *

**If any of you think this was rushed, I just want you guys to know that I have been trying to come up with good material. Dagur is dead the family is back together, and Starflight had shown the first signs of breathing fire. Review, follow, or favorite.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

**I hope I'm not keeping all of you guys waiting for too long, so here's the next chapter.**

* * *

After learning about what his parents and siblings had gone through with saving Hic, Mortem never left the house. He curled protectively around the entire building, making sure that no one ever got in except those who lived there. His children were being watched by Fera, who had her paws full of the three young dragon heirs. But Mortem guarding the house was able to get Astrid to no longer worry about losing Hic. At least for a little while.

Roan and Regina were disappointed that their dad was spending time with his baby brother instead of them, but Fera knew that all babies are complicated. Even dragon babies.

Rex, on the other hand, was rather quiet. He was playing with his tusk stumps and the small frills on his neck, all the while observing his mother. He wondered if Roan and Regina were siblings to him, since Mortem and Fera were considered mates. He believed that Fera had laid three eggs, one of which being a Bewilderbeast while the other two were Red Deaths. Roan and Regina believed that too, and Fera realized that she and Mortem would have to eventually tell them the truth.

Draco and Camicazi were in the Great Hall with the other Vikings. Draco was reading the Book of Dragons again, while Camicazi was sitting at an empty table, bored. She hadn't been allowed to bring her axe with her, for fear she could hurt someone, and there wasn't much else for her to do. She would normally hand out with Eclipse, but she was busy with her siblings, keeping an eye on Echo. There were at least two options for Camicazi, either to listen to her brother's lectures on dragons, or watch her parents talk love. And those were two things that she did NOT like doing. Which was why she was sitting almost completely still, staring off into space, daydreaming.

Astrid did admit she was still a little worried about Hic after what had happened, but she didn't let that stop her from enjoying herself. Especially when she had Hiccup with her. He always knew how to cheer her up, and forget about the problem. At least for a little while.

As for Hiccup, despite the fact that he was also worried about his son, he knew that with the dragons back, Hic would be fine. What was the point of stressing over something that he couldn't control, anyway? He loved his son, yes, but that didn't mean he had to always protect him. If there was anything he didn't want, it was to be like his dad. Stoick had been, and probably still was, overprotective of Hiccup. And Hiccup didn't want his children to have the same kind of trouble he did. He'd been discussing it with Astrid, and she understood most of it.

"You don't have to worry so much about becoming your father." Hiccup sighed. "Yeah, and you don't have to worry so much about our son." "We almost lost him!" Astrid nearly shouted. Hiccup sighed again, placing his hands on her shoulders. "But we didn't." Astrid hung her head. Hiccup gently cupped her cheek. "Astrid, look at me." Astrid sighed before looking up, and meeting his eyes. "It doesn't matter what happened," Hiccup said gently, "All that matters is that Hic is safe." Astrid didn't say anything. Hiccup held back another sigh, and pulled Astrid to him, hugging her. "It's okay," he said gently, "He's safe now. You don't have to worry." Astrid responded by snuggling into his embrace. "You're right, I...I don't know what's come over me, I mean..." Hiccup shushed her. "It's okay. You're still the tough Viking I love." Astrid smiled before punching him in the shoulder. "OW!" Hiccup let go of her, and clutched his shoulder. "What was that for?" he asked. "That's for the sappy romance," Astrid said with a smug grin. Hiccup chuckled. "I thought you liked it," he teased. "I do," Astrid said. She then pulled him to her, kissing him passionately.

"EWW!"

They both pulled away to see Camicazi sitting nearby, her face twisted in disgust. "Why'd you have to do that?" she asked, still disgusted. Hiccup laughed, "Sorry, Cami." He turned to Astrid. "I'll admit, I am a bit of a..." "Hopeless romantic?" Astrid finished. Hiccup sighed. "Why does everyone say that?!" "I don't mind," Astrid said, "It's just what makes you who you are. Among other things." Hiccup smiled at her. "That, Astrid, is one of the reasons why I love you."

The was a loud bang, and the doors to the Great Hall flew open, revealing Roan and Regina. The twin dragonets walked over to Hiccup and started sniffing him. "They probably smell Mortem on you," Astrid muttered. "Either that, or they want to see if I'm something they can eat," Hiccup said sarcastically. Astrid glared at him. "They're babies," Hiccup said, "They don't know about what to eat or not."

But Astrid was right, Hiccup did have Mortem's scent on him. Roan and Regina noticed this, and continued sniffing. The sense of smell of a Red Death was one of its strongest senses, and the dragonets had picked up the scent of their father from outside, following it inside the Great Hall. Their father had told them on the Return Migration that he had been raised by humans, and they assumed that this was one of the humans that had raised him. But they didn't know enough to identify which one he was. All they knew was that he was one of their "grandparents."

Hiccup cautiously held out a hand, and Roan stared at it. He was still for a moment before moving his head forward, his nose making contact with Hiccup's hand. "Guess who just became a grandpa," Astrid said. "Guess who can't believe it," Hiccup said sarcastically.

* * *

Meanwhile, Starflight and the others were all outside with their parents and baby sister.

"_Why didn't it work?_" Starflight asked Junior, "_The last time you stepped on my tail, I shot a plasma blast! Why didn't I do it again?!_" Junior shrugged. "_Our parents say that late bloomers don't learn how to breathe fire until they're much older._" "_Did they say anything about why I did it before?_" Starflight asked. "_I think that since you were startled, it somehow made you shoot a blast because you felt distressed,_" Junior said, "_And you didn't before because..._" "_Because I was too angry about what that guy, Dagur, had done,_" Starflight realized. He felt something nip at his tail, and he turned to see what it was.

It was Echo.

The little dragonet was a midnight black, except for the scales around her eyes, which were white. She was extremely playful, and had the tendency to pounce on anything that moved.

"_She's been doing that since she got back with Mom and Dad,_" said Negro. "_I remember when I did that,_" Fury said. This received a glare from her twin brother. "_You almost bit my tail off,_" Negro said. Fury shrugged. "_I didn't know what I was doing,_" she said. Nightwing and Midnight watched from a distance. The two brothers looked very much alike, except that Midnight's tail had a small white tip. Nightwing had huge wings, which were white at the tips like Eclipse, and his eyes were surprisingly pale. Negro was black all over, but what set him apart from Junior was his eyes. Junior's eyes were the same shade of green as his father's, but Negro's eyes were a much darker green. Fury was mostly black, except for the thin white streaks on her back and head.

"_Well, you have to admit that Echo is pretty cute,_" Eclipse said. Jet nodded in agreement.

Toothless and Starlight watched their children from nearby. Neither of them would have thought that they'd have so many beautiful dragonets. Despite the fact that none of them were fully grown yet, most were already mastering their flying and fire skills. It was true, Starflight was a late bloomer, but they both knew that he would learn how to breathe fire later. The same with Echo, who was too young to do so just yet.

There was a low growl, and the two Noght Furies turned to see Mortem approaching the Great Hall. "_I thought you were protecting Hic,_" Toothless said. "_I was,_" Mortem replied, "_But now I'm looking for Roan and Regina._" "_They went inside,_" Starflight said, gesturing with her head.

Mortem peeked in through the doors to see his children sniffing his dad. He smiled. He knew that his parents would help him and Fera with their children.

And nd he would find a way to help them with theirs.

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**Sorry for the long wait, I'm kind of running out of ideas. The next chapter will most likely take place two years later, somewhere in the beginning of the second movie, which by the way, was the MOST AWESOME MOVIE I'VE SEEN ALL SUMMER! Please leave a review, follow, or favorite.**


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